Chase and Ryder received wonderfully soft baby blue blankets as birth gifts. It took us the better part of their first year to allow them to use these blankets. Once they did, however, the boys had themselves blankies. This started off as cute, a blankie that they cuddled and dragged around the house. But, suddenly, they turned three and still insisted on slobbering their sleepy drool upon them. Todd and I never put too much pressure on them to get rid of the blankets, figuring they would outgrow them, but would occasionailly comment on how it would soon be time to get rid of them. Neither of us had a deadline in mind.
Sometimes they would fight and hit each other with the blanket which, on occasion, started a war of pushing and hair pulls. As the bout's referee it seemed only fair to take away their weapons and I would take their blankets and "hide them!" Iwould always tell them, "if you hit your brother with your blanket again I am taking it away for good" and then sometimes add, "you are getting too big for it anyway!" This little threat triggered immediate apologies and hugs and proper behavior and once they got the blanket back they would go a long while before hitting each other with it again.
Every now and then Todd would mention that the blankets were getting old and ratty. "it's time to get rid of them soon, they are getting old!" he would say casually, without pressure.
Then yesterday, all on their own, Chase said, "I am getting too big for a blankie. I want to throw it away." I looked at him questioningly. Ryder chimed in, "me too!" After double and triple checking, making sure they understood what throwing the blankets away actually meant, the boys walked over to the trash can and dropped them right in. They each took a moment to say their goodbye's, and that was it. No more blankies. Apparently, they are just too big.
Saying goodbye to their blankies!
the bottom of the barrel
No comments:
Post a Comment